Randy Meyer Racing wrapped up the NHRA Brainerd Nationals with a strong debut from rookie Mitch Kalitta, who advanced to the second round of eliminations in his first Top Alcohol Dragster national event alongside teammate Matt Cummings in the GUNK dragster.
Kalitta, making his very first Top Alcohol Dragster start with Randy Meyer Racing, qualified fifth in the field with a 5.219-second pass at 274.66 mph in the Kalitta Air Careers dragster during the third session. Cummings qualified ninth with a best of 5.285 at 270.21 mph.
In the opening round of eliminations, Kalitta lined up against Kirk Wolf. Kalitta got the starting-line advantage with a .044 reaction time and never trailed, powering to a 5.228 at 276.41 mph for the win over Wolf’s 5.373 at 263.56 mph. The victory marked Kalitta’s first Top Alcohol Dragster elimination-round win.
NHRA Brainerd Nationals
Meanwhile Cummings faced champion Joey Severance in the opening round. Cummings posted a .059 reaction time but encountered tire smoke from overpowering the track at the hit and coasted to the finish line, and Severance took the win after making his quickest pass of the weekend.
Kalitta returned for the second round against Anthony Troyer on Sunday and delivered another impressive performance, leaving with a perfect .000 reaction time and running a 5.247 at 275.84 mph. However, Troyer was able to chase down the Randy Meyer-tuned dragster, posting his best of 5.166 at 275.06 mph to take the round win.
Despite the second-round loss, Kalitta’s debut weekend marked an impressive start to the next chapter of his racing career. After growing up around Kalitta Motorsports and spending years working behind-the-scenes with the team’s Top Fuel operations, the son of Doug Kalitta claimed his first NHRA round win with Randy Meyer Racing. This is the beginning of what the team hopes will be a successful partnership with the newest member of the Kalitta racing family.
NHRA Brainerd Nationals
